1. The image to the left is by the Iranian painter Feeroozeh Golmohammadi.

2. I’m not generally a fan of protectionism, but here’s a list of great American companies that make stylish and cool stuff.

3. Why meetings are bad for creativity: makers schedule their time in half-day chunks, managers in hour-long slots.

4.

Does closing roads cut delays?

The Christian Science Monitor tackles Braess’s paradox. 5. Foreign Policy reviews the record on assassinations and offers a defense. 6. Urban planners think too small: it’s all about the megaregion now.